Dynamite DukeReview

Share.

Horrible box art, horrible Genesis game.

By Levi Buchanan

It's not like Dynamite Duke didn't come with a warning label. The front of the box is adorned with one of the worst game covers of the entire 16-bit generation. That strange Seagal-esque soldier with a grimace that says he's about to drink your milkshake... he's there to scare you into moving elsewhere in the game aisle at the local Toys R Us. But if you didn't somehow heed his unspoken advice and actually put down the cash for Dynamite Duke, at least you got yourself an accurate arcade port.

That's where the secondary problem kicks in. Dynamite Duke is so faithful to the arcade game by Seibu Kaihatsu that it lasts all of thirty minutes -- hardly worth the $40 cover charge. You are Colonel Duke Rippem a super-soldier that earned the nickname Dynamite Duke thanks to a bomb blast that, according to the game's manual, shredded your body. The Global Alliance rebuilt Duke with a cybernetic arm (and a transparent chest plate so you can see through him) that can uppercut evil into lower orbit.

Oh no.

Duke has been called into action because -- and this is pure 1990 -- the hole in the ozone layer has gotten so bad, it roasts people alive. Scientists have tried to genetically engineer life that can withstand solar blasts, but the doctor in charge of the project, Ashe, has gone missing. Rumor has it that's he retreated to an island and is growing an army of mutant soldiers to take over the sun-ravaged world. Across six short stages, Duke must shoot and punch his way to victory.

Duke should be a gun game. The game unfolds much like Operation Wolf, with a side-scrollin camera on auto-pan. Duke shoots soldiers, gun turrets, helicopters, and other equipment with his machine gun. Shooting certain targets drops extra ammo, a bazooka, a magnum pistol, a flak jacket, and other bonuses. But the real prizes are the big Ds. These let Duke use his screen-clearing Dynamite Punch, a massive roundhouse designed to punch Icarus on the chin. No matter what's going on on-screen or how far back the bad guys are, a Dynamite Punch rips through everybody.

See-through hero.

The Dynamite Punch is actually far better suited for the boss battles at the end of each stage, which double as the highlights of the game. Bosses are huge and they get in close so you can actually strike with the Dynamite Punch is a way that doesn't look totally goofy. The flame-throwing boss that floats through the air is my favorite. He looks like a tank. The sprite was enormous, and in 1990, seeing it fly about with no slowdown was pretty impressive. The big catch, though, was if you managed to hold on to all of your Dynamite Punches, you could destroy a boss in just a few seconds. This might be fun in the arcade when you're going quarter-to-quarter, but at home -- busted.

The worst part of Dynamite Duke, though, is the hero's inability to move and shoot at the same time. When you fired, Duke nailed his feet to the floor. Incoming fire be damned, Duke can take it! He eats lead for breakfast! Dodging fire meant sometimes giving up prime shots, and taking a great shot often meant getting a few slugs to the gut. Yeah, the Genesis controller only had one d-pad and there wasn't a clean solution for this problem, but that doesn't excuse it. This simple, iffy mechanic deflates the game almost as much as its lack of value.

Dynamite Duke was not the toughest game in town, and that's why it was such a titanic disappointment on the Genesis. After getting acquainted with the game, you could rip through it in about half an hour. There were no bonus stages for the home game. Nothing extra for your $40. That was totally lame in 1990, and it's still lame.

This link directs to a retail affiliate. IGN may receive a commission from your purchase.

The Verdict

Dynamite Duke was a dismal value when it dropped on the Genesis, but the game is something of a breezy goof now. You can likely find it for a fraction of the original price, and having that atrocious box art on your shelf is kinda funny. Just don't expect anything more than 30 minutes of play value.